LampFall 2012 a publicationPo of The Lamplighter Schoolst | Dallas, Texas Report of Annual Giving 2011-2012 Land Celebration, page 8. • ALSO INSIDE: READ ALL ABOUT WHAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE UP TO IN “ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT.” PAGE 15. BulletinBoard Lamp Post Fall 2012 Calendar of Events November 2012 Managing Editor 3 Auction Social: Around the World Party Edward Ritenour, Director of Communications & Marketing 12 Dolores Evans Speaker Series: Wendy Mogel 19-23 Thanksgiving Break Art/Design 29 Media Center Open House Ana Bohanan, Communications | Design Coordinator December Contributors 20 All School Program Sandy Diamond, Sheila Stewart, Michelle Prengle, 21 Winter Break Begins Karen Allen and Jacquelyn Wilcox January 2013 Mission Statement Dedicated to igniting the potential of each child, 7 Classes Resume Lamplighter engages children in the joy of learning 12 Auction Social: Snow Day through intellectual discovery in a creative, inclusive, 21 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Holiday) and collaborative environment. 22 No Early Childhood Classes (Pre-K and K) 30 Dolores Evans Speaker Series: Bill Nye Diversity Statement February Diversity will strengthen the education of Lamplighter children and enrich the lives of all members of the 9 LPA Auction Lamplighter community. Lamplighter will, therefore, strive 14-15 Parent Conferences, No School for the lamps that we light to reflect the ever-changing 18 Presidents’ Day (Holiday) community in which we reside. We value individuality and encourage all children to reach their potential, while March respecting their similarities and differences. We are united in purpose and committed to working together to 8 Auction Social: Dads’ Poker Night accomplish the mission of The Lamplighter School. 14 International Night 25 Spring Break Begins If you are interested in becoming a member of Lamplighter’s Diversity Work Group, please contact Matt April Brenner, Director of Admission and Community Services, at 214.369.9201. The group meets several times throughout 1 School Holiday the school year to support the school’s diversity efforts. 2 Classes Resume 5 Auction Social: FORTY FIVE TEN 19 Grandest Friends’ Day Non-Discrimination Statement 20-21 Community/Green Team: Earth Day at Fair Park In compliance with federal and state laws, The Lamplighter 26 School Holiday/Faculty Staff Day School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, national or ethnic origin, age, marital May status, sexual orientation, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid 10 Muffins With Moms program, athletic and other school-administered programs, 17 Senior Opera or the employment of staff. 18 Young Alumni Car Wash 20 Spirit Day – Senior Graduation Hootenanny Contact Us 21 Senior Carpool Parade and Party Send story ideas to Edward Ritenour (eritenour@ 22 Last Day of School 23-24 Parent Conferences, No School thelamplighterschool.org). Deadline for articles, photographs, and news for the next issue (Spring 2013) is February 1, 2013. Note: All dates are subject to change. Please log on to www.thelamplighterschool.org to view the most updated school calendar. 10 Cover Story Community gathers to commemorate purchase of land from Hockaday with Jimmy LaFave concert. Departments Head Lines 4 15 On Board 5 Cover Story 8 Campus News 10 Alumni Spotlight 15 Focus 16 Annual Report 21 21 LAMPPOST 3 HeadLines Over the past year at Lamplighter, I have A school’s culture is largely defined by its Dear Lamplighter observed and felt a strong and positive priorities. This includes the traditions, what school culture. This allows every member and how the school celebrates, and what is Community, of the community to feel part of something accepted by the majority as the norm. All The opening of this school year has been big, and yes, something very important: too often, school culture is left to develop truly joyful. Students, faculty, and staff have that is, the education of our students. The on its own. At Lamplighter, it is obvious settled into that familiar hum of school life. care that is taken in the development of that every member of the community both I am pleased to report that after a year of curriculum ensures that the proper amount past and present has purposefully crafted, study and reflection, the Strategic Initiatives of emphasis is placed upon both core and influenced, and improved upon aspects of Committee of the Board of Trustees has special subjects. The social/emotional the culture. Our school, at almost 60 years completed a comprehensive document titled, curriculum is also given equal emphasis. old, is perfectly poised for the next step. “Lighting Our Path…Strategic and Academic The culture of our school values a close-knit Plans for The Lamplighter School.” community and Lamplighter pulls you in from the very beginning! Many friendships Wishing you a wonderful fall season! The plans with which you will become begin when students are in the Early familiar could not have been developed Childhood program and become lifelong. without a strong school culture where input We hear from alums that this supportive from the community is expected and culture that is emblematic of Lamplighter Joan Buchanan Hill, Ed.D. encouraged. The Lamplighter community sustains them for years. In many schools, Head of School includes all of us: Board members, parents, the culture may appear too ubiquitous to grandparents, alums, past parents, faculty, define clearly, too pervasive to grasp fully and staff. I am eager to share details of and too complex to evaluate, but the culture the new opportunities at upcoming of Lamplighter School is the heart of the breakfast meetings. experience for each student. 4 LAMPPOST OnBoard We are very excited to start this school year with a bang. Dear Lamplighter Community, nights already, an amazing benefit of our next few years on campus. In January, we partnership with the Perot Museum of started the strategic planning process led So many great things have been going on Nature and Science. Another benefit will be by Board of Trustees Vice-Chair Catherine around campus and in town with regards our joint lecture held at the museum by Bill Rose. Catherine has done an amazing job to Lamplighter. Nye the Science Guy on January 30. shepherding myriad constituencies through this exhaustive process. The end result First and foremost, our dynamic Head of Joan continues to forge meaningful will be a road map for our future that will School Joan Hill begins her second year connections within the Dallas educational be rolled out by Joan and her team in the at the helm. Between moving to a new city community and the community at large, and coming weeks and months. Many of you and becoming the head of Lamplighter, Lamplighter will be the primary beneficiary helped provide input for this process and Joan also found time to complete her Ed.D of her initiatives. One such example I hope we are really excited for you to see our degree at the University of Pennsylvania. many of you got to enjoy is the Arboretum, finished product. Please congratulate Dr. Hill on this where we had a picnic in September during awesome accomplishment if you haven’t the remarkable Chihuly exhibit. In the winter and spring, Lamplighter will already. Under Joan’s leadership, the begin the onsite portion of its reaccreditation school is positioned for a great year. Some On campus, we are humbled and elated by ISAS, the Independent Schools of you have been to our grade level science to have completed the fundraising for our Association of the Southwest. There has permanent home at 11611 Inwood Road. already been a lot of work done on the This milestone has been a long time in the reporting requirements, and we hope to pass making and sincere thanks go to all of you our review with flying colors this spring. who helped make this purchase possible. LampFall 2012 a publicationPost of The Lamplighter School | Dallas, Texas Very special thanks go out to our student We have an amazing group of children, and young alumni donors who put their assisted ably by an involved, nurturing hard-earned allowance and car wash money faculty and a tremendous, supportive parent into the Land Fund. We hope many of you community. From our precious little rookies got to attend the special Hootenanny to in pre-K, to our Spectacular Seniors, let us celebrate the land given by noted musician all have a great year filled with learning and Jimmy LaFave in September. laughter. And please, buy more eggs! As homeowners the Board of Trustees Best regards, was able to start serious planning for our Lighting Our Path Cover Story, page 12. A special issue of Lamppost will be published later this fall and will include the recently board- Alex Nila K. Sharma approved Lamplighter 2012-2017 Strategic Board Chair • ALSO INSIDE: READ ALL ABOUT WHAT YOUR FRIENDS ARE UP TO IN “ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT.” PAGE 14. Plan, “Lighting Our Path.” LAMPPOST 5 OnBoard Lamplighter Welcomes New Board Members Jon Morgan ’82 Jonathan Morgan is the Founder and President of Dallas- based Perry Street Communications, a communications 2012 -2013 New Trustee Bios Trustee 2012 -2013 New and public relations consulting firm. Jon previously worked at Kekst and Company in New York, one of the world’s leading communications firms, and served as Director of Research for MSD Capital, also in New York. A Dallas native (and Lamplighter graduate), Jon holds a B.A. in American Studies from Wesleyan University (CT) and a J.D. from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Jon is married to Elizabeth Seabury, an attorney, with whom he has two boys – Henry and Oliver (both current Lamplighter students). Jon also has three sisters (Ashley, Margaret, and Juliet) who also are proud Kyle Ford ’74 Lamplighter graduates.